Chapter 9
TEN DAYS LATER
ROSE
I continued to be with Catherine in the cave we had found. Since we had no clothes, I stayed in wolf form to protect Catherine from the cold. The pain, which was caused by the companion band, became more and more and I could hardly stand it. We hadn't eaten for the last ten days and I was just hoping that my and Onyx's bond would finally break. After that, we would be free again.
I sighed softly and had rested my head on my paws.
I stayed quiet so as not to attract any enemies.
I kept looking out to see that we were safe.
Suddenly, however, I heard footsteps. They were coming from another wolf. I moved to the back of the cave so I wouldn't be seen in the angle of the light. I watched the whole situation. It was a brown she-wolf wandering around. She looked familiar somehow. I sniffed the air. The scent of magnolia rose to my nose and I knew who it was.
All my senses were on high alert. Neva, Arnor's companion.
I watched as she sat down and apparently howled.
Oh baby, you're going to cry, I thought to myself.
I scrambled to my feet and prepared to attack.
She still didn't see me coming. I quietly crept up behind her and bit into her flank. She cried out loudly and tried to twist out of my grip. I pushed her lower to the ground. 'What are you doing here.' I glared at her angrily. All the suffering I and Catherine had experienced, we had this snake to thank for.
I pressed on her neck with my paw, 'Speak.' I hissed at her. "W-We were attacked, everything was destroyed..." She could barely speak and turned back into a human. This was her way of showing me that she didn't want to fight me. However, I didn't care. The only thing I wanted to see was blood.
Her blonde hair fell over her shoulders. Her face was so beautiful that I almost felt it was a shame to have to disfigure her right away.
Her blue eyes looked at me with hatred. "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" She screamed at me, trying to break free of my grip. "You started this damn war, I lost my home because of you!" Oh, then, I guess Ryan was successful with his war. Killing and driving away was in his mind.
'You know what your fault is? I growled at her, getting closer and closer. 'Your fault is being put in this world you spoiled brat. I'm going to send your little Arnor a really great message.' I bared my teeth and dangerously pushed into her belly. Over and over again. She screamed and cried, in vain. I was out for revenge and no one could help her.
My face was soaked with her blood and her screams echoed over and over in the deep woods.
Over the bond Arnor could feel her pain and death. This was his punishment. He would have to suffer her death for a lifetime. Just as I and Catherine suffered from all the traumatic events.
Catherine was silent, she said nothing.
At some point, as her lifeless body lay motionless on the floor, I let go of her.
I let out a frustrated howl, grabbed Neva's body between my teeth and made my way with her to the border of the Black Moon.
I walked for several hours and eventually I arrived.
As soon as I put the body on the territory of the Black-Moon, they would feel it and run. I looked around and there was not a soul there.
I placed the body of Neva on the ground and retreated back into the depths of the woods.
RYAN
'Body found at the border, a body has been found at the border.' The border patrol alerted me. Tristan and I immediately got up and made our way there. Although my health was miserable and my whole body and arm hurt, my mood had reached the end, I had to be there for such an incident.
The Alphas had already left. Kilian had taken the liberty of staying longer to help me find Catherine, but we were unsuccessful. God knows where she was now.
"Let's go, they found a body," I said to Kilian, who was sitting next to me at the dining table reading the newspaper. He nodded and immediately stood up.
'Alpha, the prisoner has been screaming and crying his mate has been deceased for over several hours.' Michael said to me.
I looked up in the air, confused.
'Wait what?" I asked him again.
'Arnor is crying like a little child for his mate.' Michael says again.
'Why didn't you tell me this before?'
'I thought you wouldn't really care about this information since he's our prisoner.'
I shook my head and sighed. 'I'll deal with him later.'
We immediately made our way to the border.
I looked in front at my gathered wolves and walked through them.
On the ground was a naked corpse. A woman. Arnor's mate.
She had been completely torn apart. Her skin glowed faintly red at the bite marks.
Wait-was this, the work of Catherine?
Kilian and I looked at each other at the same time.
"You don't think she did this, do you?", I asked Kilian, looking back to the corpse.
"Cover the body, it stinks in here," Tristan said, directing the other wolves to take care of the body.
Kilian looked at me and ran his hands through his hair. "I'd be more comforted if she was responsible for this." he finally said.
I shook my head and paced back and forth.
"We can by the blood, try to track her down. Come on, do it!" I said to Kilian and had already turned into a wolf.
We followed the scent of Neva's blood. The trail was still fresh and after the fight Catherine must be weakened as well.
'She's fast as hell' Kilian says, following me.
'Damn demons, I never would have believed there were hybrid wolf x demon.'
Kilian grinned, 'Welcome to the world of mystical beings. Tell a human about the big bad wolf.'
I felt inside that we were getting closer to Catherine. The closer I was to her, the weaker the pains of the broken bond became. I had been in a bad mood for days, torturing Arnor until he fell over unconscious each time and looking for Catherine in every corner.
My pack members could hardly stand me. The only one who kept me in check was Kilian and Tristan. They barely managed to avoid a werewolf rampage.
All I wanted was them. I had an insatiable desire for her. To breathe in her sweet rose scent, to stroke her black hair, and to kiss and bite her damn lips.
The scent of Neva's blood, led us to a lake. Kilian and I watched the situation from above and looked down to a she-wolf who was at the lake drinking water.
I looked at Kilian. 'That's her.'
He nodded 'Be careful she doesn't bite you again, the next time she bites you, your death will be hastened by the infected wound. Rather look to make peace, she looks even more emaciated than usual.' Kilian instructed me, and his wolf gave me a nasty glare.
We made our way down to her, slowly and quietly. As soon as we were near her, she immediately jumped up and turned to us.
'What do you want? Rose hissed at us.
Kilian turned back into a human.
"Little one, we mean you no harm. We just want to talk to you and ask you to come back..."
I turned back as well and agreed with Kilian.
"I'm so damn sorry, Rose. The last thing me and Onyx want is to let you and Catherine go.... Please come back..."
She responded to my words with a growl and scratched the ground with her paws.
'You don't know what you've done to her. She's hardly talked since we left.'
Rose was angry as hell. Very angry. On top of that, she was a strong she-wolf who could take on anyone.
Kilian dared to walk closer to her.
'Listen Rose. Give us a second chance. If this doesn't work out, I'll take you back to the Crescent pack. I don't want you wandering around in these woods with the risk of getting hurt. Please...' he guided his hand to Rose's muzzle.
"Please..." He began gently stroking her head.
'He's clearly better at this than you are' Onyx said annoyed.
'You were the one who went for her doggy.' I said to Onyx and sighed.
Rose looked at Kilian and then looked over at me.
'His arm is the mildest thing he'll feel next time...' said Rose.
Oh yes, Neva's body was completely disfigured.
I just nodded slightly and didn't utter a word.
"Rose, please turn back.... I'll take Catherine from here." said Kilian, looking into her eyes.
Rose hesitated for a moment and finally she let go and turned back.
I looked at Catherine, who was even thinner than usual and hard to talk to.
Kilian immediately took her in his arms, although I myself felt the need to take her in my arms and never let go. I didn't want to upset Rose, though.
"Let's get out of here." Kilian slowly transformed again and had Catherine on her back.
Slowly we walked back to the pack. Kilian went straight up to Catherine's room so everyone wouldn't have to see her bare skin.
Once up in the room, I turned first and slowly took Catherine off of Kilian. Touching her skin, I felt an electrifying sensation, a tingling sensation that gave my whole body a feeling of happiness. When Kilian had also changed back, I put Catherine in bed and covered her up. She was completely hypothermic and seemed visibly fatigued.
Kilian and I changed briefly in my room and gave instructions to Cynthia and the doctor to arrive on the scene.
The doctor brought the full complement right away. He went to Catherine and did his work. She tried to resist. "No I don't want to..." she whispered weakly. The companion bond had done something to her as well. Even if she was a hybrid, as an alpha you could take rejection more easily, normal wolves without alpha blood were worse then.
"Cate you have to stay still now and let the doctor do his work," Kilian said to her and looked at her seriously. She just nodded weakly and then let the control take over.
Wow this guy really had a hold on her.
'Say, why does she listen to you like that.' I said to Kilian, who looked at me confused.
'If I had said that, she would have done just the opposite.' I played with my rings, which I had on my fingers and looked, at Catherine, who didn't give me a glance.
'Maybe you should have accepted her from the beginning, then you probably wouldn't have had this problem. When I met my mate, we were already making out in the first hour together. A bond requires love, not pride and selfishness.'
'I've never rejected her before, I just wanted us to take it slow,' I argued. I didn't expect the shot to backfire.
Those sermons. I rolled my eyes and looked over at Tristan. "Tell Maya to cook her something good."
I bit my lip because my arm was starting to throb.
The infection in my arm continued to spread and it hurt like hell.
Kilian saw my pain-ravaged face and looked at Catherine.
"Cate, you have to heal his wound with your blood or he'll die on us," Kilian said.
Catherine looked up at him and then over at me. Her gaze fixed on me.
"No it's okay Kilian, I'm fine." I didn't want her to do anything she didn't want to do, especially since she was in miserable shape.
"He's right," she whispers softly, glaring at the doctor. "Take me some blood and give it to him, please..."
'Even after this action she still cares about us...' Onyx said dreamily. I felt like driving him into the wall.
I shook my head. "No, recover for the first time." I said, getting up and walking out of the room. I could still feel her gaze, which was on me.
I walked to my room and lay down on my bed. The bedding smelled of flowers and it was so soft that I could have fallen asleep right away.
I had decorated everything in black and silver. In addition, my king size bed stood in the middle of the room and had a bed canopy made of black silk.
I sighed and looked up at the ceiling.
If I wanted to win her over, I clearly had to do things differently.